Tag Archives: Godzilla 2014

Collecting the Rondo Awards 2015 Best Toy Category – Part 8

Jakks Pacific 4o” Godzilla Toy

It’s Monday and that means it’s time for another entry in my continuing series profiling all the nominees in the 2015 Rondo Awards. With the one-year anniversary of Legends Godzilla, or Godzilla 2014 as it’s become known, hitting the theaters, we’re taking a look at the Jakks Pacific company’s 40″ Godzilla toy figure.

This blog is about collecting classic monsters and Godzilla is as classic as they come. We can – and should– have lots of discussion about whether or not Godzilla 2014 is a classic movie. I know Godzilla fans on both sides of that line. While a new film like Legendary’s 2014 Godzilla will have supporters and detractors, there is no arguing that the monster itself is a classic — even if we disagree on whether the film is. I, for one, liked the movie and am excited about the sequel.

What makes a monster classic?

One point I want to make very clear to my readers, classic is not the same as vintage. So I will frequently cover new and modern collectibles in this blog as is clearly the case with this entire series about Rondo nominees since they were all released in 2014. I do, however, draw a line in terms of what is considered classic. For purposes of scope, I consider Alien a classic. And Jaws. I believe new classic monsters are being created all the time, although time is exactly what determines a classic.

Monsters that stand the test of time — and survive reimagining and reboots, both good and bad, are a major determinate of a character’s legacy. For Monster Kids, there is probably less disagreement about whether Dracula Untold was a good reboot than if Godzilla 2014 was. Although Toho’s announcement that they are getting back into the Godzilla movie business further fuels this debate.

Finally, there are plenty of classic monsters from not-so-classic films. Many of the 1950s horror and sci fi films will never show up on the best movies ever made list, but for genre fans like myself, the monsters make the movies. We appreciate a bit of camp and understand the impact of low-budgets– none of which make a film a classic for our purposes.

NOT classic monsters:

I don’t consider serial killers/slashers classic monsters –even with supernatural overtones like Freddy and Jason, and I won’t cover those characters here. Clearly they’ve stood the test of time and are being rebooted by the movie making machine. Plenty will disagree with me but my blog, my rules. Now that that’s clear….back to our regularly scheduled broadcast!

Jakks 40″ Godzilla

Two points to make on this one:

1. This is a toy.

The category is called “Best Toy, Model, Collectible” and the nominees represented all three of those sub-categories quite well. Frankly, it’s hard to compare a $200 limited edition maquette to a $10 toy on similar merits and I’d like to see the Rondo Awards merchandise categories expanded so that we can vote for like products in similar categories rather than make contrived comparisons. This Godzilla figure may be collectible, but it is first and foremost a toy. My 8 year old son loves to play with this guy. He’s not getting anywhere near my limited edition collectibles but this one is built for roughhousing. I’m sure he looks great on a collector’s shelf as well, but I like seeing him stomping lego sets and other action figures in my son’s room. He’s also fairly priced at $50.

2. This is a HUGE toy.

We all no that Godzilla has gotten bigger with passing decades in the movies and this is one big toy. At 3.5 feet long and 2 feet high, he dominates the play room. As the King of the Monsters should!

Product Details:

3.5 feet in length

2 feet in height

MSRP $50

12 points of articulation

Here’s a comprehensive video review go this toy by The Review Spot – you can visit their Youtube channel here.

Where to Buy Jakks Pacific 40″ Godzilla

While originally a Toys-R-Us exclusive, this toy is easy to find at local big box stores as wells on-line:

Entertainment Earth

Summary

Godzilla is one of the most-merchandised of all the classic monsters. There are collectors who focus not just on Big-G, but on specific lines like X-Plus. Godzilla is one of my favorite monsters and I love the Toho films. My favorites are from the Showa era simply because those were the movies I saw growing up. Sure, they were aimed at kids and more than a little campy, but that’s part of their appeal. I enjoy watching these with my kids who also love them.

I am glad that we have a new updated Godzilla series that, in my opinion, has remained true in spirit to the original Toho films. It’s not a guy in a suit stomping on model cities, but it honors the original story, captures some of the Godzilla as “terrible defender” story lines from my favorite era, and introduced the King of the Monsters to a new generation of movie goers.

Time will tell if Godzilla 2014 is a classic, but there is no debate that this classic monster continues to be loved by collectors and kids alike.

So, in honor of the one-year anniversary of Godzilla, tonight we’ll sit back and watch this new-classic monster movie as a family and have fun — because, to me, that is what classic monster movies are all about.